N.Y. State to improve maternal, pediatric facilities at Elmhurst Hospital at a cost of $27.5M

Governor Kathy Hochul announced on August 14 that the New York State would invest $27.5 million to expand maternal and pediatric health care facilities at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens.

The State’s investment will increase access to high-quality prenatal and mental health care by expanding the hospital’s Women’s Pavilion to more than double its current size. This investment will also enable the hospital to build a new, state-of-the-art Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), which will allow more local families to access care for critically ill and injured children without traveling miles away to other hospitals, according to a press statement.

“Our investment will deliver better health care for moms and kids throughout the Queens community,”  Hochul said. “As New York’s first mom Governor, addressing the maternal mortality crisis is personal for me. Whether it’s investing in maternal health resources, securing first-in-the-nation paid prenatal leave or increasing access to doulas, I’ll never stop working to ensure safe, healthy pregnancies for moms across our State.”

Elmhurst Hospital primarily serves neighborhoods including Elmhurst, Jackson Heights and Corona, which are among the highest birthrate communities in Queens.

Women’s Pavilion

A new $20 million State investment will enable Elmhurst Hospital to expand its Women’s Pavilion from 16,000 square feet to 35,000 square feet – more than doubling its size and adding three new floors to the facility. This significant expansion will increase the hospital’s capacity to deliver high-quality prenatal care, including general obstetrics and high-risk pregnancy services, nutrition services, family planning resources and prenatal education including breastfeeding classes. This investment will also allow the hospital to provide more services during evening hours as requested by a recent survey of patients from the local community.

Additionally, the expanded Women’s Pavilion will offer a range of new resources, including care for pelvic floor disorders, gynecological cancers and breast health, as well as mental health counseling for postpartum depression and anxiety, among other new services. New equipment added to the Pavilion will include state-of-the-art sonogram machines, ultrasound machines and mammography equipment.

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

A new $7.5 million state investment will enable Elmhurst Hospital to build a new, approximately 1,500-square foot PICU. The hospital currently does not have a PICU, which means that many critically ill and injured children from local communities need to be transferred miles away to other hospitals that are better equipped to care for them. This has placed an undue burden on many Queens families who must constantly travel to visit a critically ill child.

Building the new PICU will finally address this problem by ensuring that local families with critically ill children can easily access high-quality care close to home.  

Assemblymember Steven Raga said, “Governor Hochul’s historic $27.5 million investment for Elmhurst Hospital will save lives in Queens. The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit will be vital for ensuring that critically ill children in our community receive the appropriate medical attention and support they need during their most vulnerable moments, while the Women’s Health Pavilion will address the specific health care needs of women in an inclusive and supportive environment. This support from our governor will make significant strides in health care services for our community, which was the epicenter of COVID-19 in the United States.”